A Newtownabbey student was hired on the spot recently when he attended a recruitment fair for a US summer camp.
Andrew Cass, 20, from Jordanstown, travelled to Manchester for the event and nailed the job there and then as a camp counsellor during his summer 2012 holidays.
Andrew, who is currently studying medicine at Queen’s University, will be spending the summer surrounded by lakes and mountains in New Hampshire, near Wilmot in the Lake Sunapee/Dartmouth College area of the picturesque State.
He saif: “I’m over the moon and feel privileged to have been picked.”
Andrew, who has extensive experience of working with young people, including three years at senior level in the Boys’ Brigade, will spend two months living and working with children, teaching them new skills such as sports, arts and crafts, and helping them to develop, followed by up to six weeks’ travelling in North America.
The recruitment fair in Manchester, organised by BUNAC, gave hundreds of young people from around the UK the chance to meet camp directors from the USA, and to sign up for interviews.
A spokesperson for BUNAC said: “The fair was extremely well attended, with many candidates travelling long distances to take part. We’ve seen a 35% rise in summer camp applications this year, which reflects young people’s desire to boost their CVs with work experience and leadership skills in today’s economic climate.”
BUNAC, which has been arranging work placements for young people from the UK and Northern Ireland in North American summer camps for over 40 years, recommends that candidates should like children and have experience working with them and that they should ideally be aged 19 before taking on the role.For those who don’t have experience of working with children, there are also support roles available, such as kitchen hands and catering staff.
Anyone keen to follow in Andrew’s footsteps can visit http://www.bunac.org.uk/uk/summer-camp/ or telephone BUNAC on 020 7553 6180.